


For All The Wrong Reasons

by GameOverGlitch



Category: Smallville
Genre: Consent Issues, Episode: s02e04 Red, M/M, Red Kryptonite, Red!K Clark has no patience, diverges from plot and then does it's own thing, dubcon?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-02
Updated: 2017-02-04
Packaged: 2018-09-21 13:14:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9550643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GameOverGlitch/pseuds/GameOverGlitch
Summary: What would happen if Red K!Clark noticed Lex's blatant checking him out in the episode Red?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Second out of nowhere Clex fic because (re)watching Smallville is so painful. (And because the Clex tumblr tag is FILLED with this scene.)

Clark burst into Lex's study, intent on convincing Lex to lend him his Ferrari over a game of pool. He'd been thinking about making it a bet, and was trying to figure out how he could use his powers to cheat at pool. But when he got there he found both Lex and the table occupied with various boxes and spartan helmets. 

"I came to play pool, but it looks like this establishment's closed," he said in lieu of a greeting. 

Lex chuckled lightly as he continued to flip through the file in his hands. "My father's presence has required certain sacrifices."

"Why don't you throw him out?" Clark wandered over to a nearby glass desk. He wrinkled his nose at a strange knickknack, wondering why Lex would let Lionel do anything to his home. He put the paperweight down and turned to Lex. 

Lex placed the file down on the covered pool table and began turning to his friend. "Clark, it's not like the thought hadn't occurred to me, but..."

Clark rose his eyebrows at the apparently speechless Luthor. Lex took in his new appearance, his mouth still open from being mid-sentence, and Clark grinned. His plan had been to get Lex's car to impress Lana (and just drive it for fun), but a better, more immediate option had presented itself to him. Why have fun with Lana _later_ when he could have fun with Lex now?

"His blindness changes the situation," Lex recovered, finishing his sentence as though he _hadn't_ stopped talking for a few seconds. 

"Like what you see?" Clark asked, spreading his arms out a little. 

Lex smirked, supposing he deserved Clark's teasing after that. "That outfit looks good on you," he said. It was a deflection, but also very true. Where and how had Clark even gotten such an expensive and form-fitting getup? He leaned back against the pool table.

Clark took a few big steps toward him, showing too many teeth. "It'd look better on your bedroom floor."

That was too out of character for Lex's brain to catch up with. Sure their banter had always had a flirty edge to it but out of the two of them he never expected Clark _Aw Shucks_ Kent to be the one to push it over into homoerotic territory. 

Clark took advantage of Lex's gobsmacked reaction, deliberately walked right up to him, put his hands on Lex's hips, and kissed him roughly.

Lex tried to quickly run through all the possibilities of what what going on right now. He'd thought that damned killer flower had been destroyed, but maybe Clark had come across some stray pollen? Was this even Clark? Maybe it was that person who tried to rob a bank with his face. Or was it some new meteor-induced weirdness? A Clark from an alternate universe? Mind control?

Lex decided it was safest to assume this was the actual Clark, just a Clark not in his right mind. If it turned out to be a shapeshifter or illusion he'll change his plan later. His _plan_ , as quickly made as it was, was to play along until he could slip out and go ask Clark's parents what the fuck happened to their son.

Lex's hesitation had been brief enough for Clark to not notice (or care?), apparently, though Lex wasn't sure whether he'd spent seconds or minutes reeling. Clark's body was pressed against him, starting to bend him backwards as the pool table he was pinned to was only as tall as the middle of his pelvis. Lex had to dig his fingers into the back of Clark's two-thousand dollar jacket to stay upward as he kissed him back with the same intensity. 

Lex was trying to split his attention between planning on how he was going to get out of here, trying to make out with Clark in a unsuspicious way, and desperately trying not to _enjoy_ making out with Clark. 

This isn't how he'd imagined it, and he _had_ imagined it, as guilty as that made him feel. Clark was so much rougher than he'd ever thought. Clark's hands were holding onto his hips with so much grip that he was 100% going to bruise, his ass was going numb against the wooded pool table, and his back was starting to hurt the more it was bent backwards. Maybe if he focused on the pain he could ignore Clark's tongue in his mouth and Clark's thigh slotted between his legs. 

Why was he trying to get out of this again?

Right, Clark wasn't in his right mind, and he had to find out what was going on. As tempting as it was to just give in, there was no way in Hell Clark would do this if he wasn't being affected by something. Clark would hate him and never talk to him again if after all this was done he'd actually had sex with this altered Clark. (Lex briefly entertained the idea that he could claim Clark had overpowered him and he'd feared for his safety otherwise and then clamped down hard on that thought.)

He tried to break the kiss in a way that seemed natural, but Clark wouldn't let go when he tried to pull away slowly. He tried to gently push him away but he wouldn't budge. Finally he had to jerk his head backwards fast to surprise Clark enough. 

Clark only let up a fraction as Lex gasped and attempted to get air back into his lungs. He watched with detached curiosity, ever surprised by the fragility of humans. Not kissing Lex was starting to bore him, so he experimentally ground his leg into Lex's groin. He grinned triumphantly when Lex bit his own lip.

Lex swallowed loudly. "My father is driving me crazy," he said. "What if we just blow off this town?"

Clark perked up. That would at least involve a fast, expensive car. Maybe even a private jet ride. "Right now?"

Lex tilted his head in pretend thought. "I'd need to go take care of some things first," he saw Clark's eyes start to glaze over, "really quick, I promise, then we can go. There's a penthouse in Metropolis no one is using."

"I've been to Metropolis," Clark said.

"You've never been in a penthouse."

"I guess."

"First stop," he lied. "We'll figure out where to go from there." Clark was going for it, but with not enough enthusiasm, so he added, "I'll let you pick and drive which car we take."

Clark looked excited, and leaned a little closer, "And?" he asked, trying to see what else he could get. 

Clark had loosened his grip considerably during this conversation, his interest shifting from Lex's body to Lex's things. Lex managed to lift himself up to sit on the pool table, his abused body thanking him. "And," he echoed, leaning forward to grab at Clark's chest,"your patience will be rewarded," he said into his ear.

Clark immediately went back to making out with him, leaning his hands on either side of Lex so hard the wood made a creaking noise. Lex tried not to sigh into his mouth, he really needed to _go_.

Somebody was fucking testing him, and he didn't appreciate it. 

This time the kiss was hard to break because he didn't want to. "As fun as this is, you need to let me go so I can come back so we can go."

Clark groaned. "What do you even need to do?"

"Business things," he answered, because it was both too believable and too boring for Clark to push.

Clark reluctantly retreated and Lex swiftly jumped off the table. "Stay here," he practically begged Clark, "I'll be back before you know it."

Lex had to stop on the side of the road halfway to the Kent's farm, needing to straighten out his clothing and make himself presentable. If he showed up like he was and told them he'd just left Clark Jonathan _would_ shoot him. He even checked the mirror to make sure his eyes weren't still dilated.

\---

Clark got bored really quickly left alone in the mansion, until he realized that he could just meet up with Lex when he was done with whatever he'd left to do. For now, he could just take the car he'd come to borrow and take Lana to that bar.

\---

Predictably, Jonathan had not appreciated Lex showing up to ask about Clark. He hadn't even managed to say where Clark was before Jonathan had stopped listening and demanded he leave. 

Turns out it didn't matter, as Clark wasn't even _at_ the mansion when he returned. And neither was the red Ferrari.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone was expecting more Red K! Clark but it's all heartache and fluff from here.

Lex didn't see or hear about Clark until the next day, after he'd kicked Lionel out of the mansion. He'd been worried until Martha had called him. Lex wasn't sure if it was out of her own decency or if Clark had asked her to because he was too embarrassed to do it himself.

Either way Lex and Clark needed to have a talk. Not only because he needed to know what had happened to Clark, but because now that Lex was sure that had been the real Clark Kent he had some questions about how much of what had happened had been Clark himself and how much had been whatever had possessed him. 

At worst he needed to make sure awkwardness wasn't about to ruin their friendship.

\---

Lex drove to the Kent Farm around sunset and with some directions from his parents (after checking the loft and the kitchen) finally found his friend outside of a random barn out on the farm. He was doing some sort of work, on his knees in front of a wall of the structure, but his heart didn't seem to be in it. 

Lex had to call out his name to get his attention. Clark looked up at him and froze. Lex counted to three in his head before Clark started to breathe again.

"Are you ok?" Lex asked, approaching him slowly. 

Clark nodded sharply and turned away to continue repairing a small hole in the barn wall, using it as an excuse to not look at him. (Clark thanked whatever god listening that his dad had left a hammer here because he had not remembered to bring one, his mind not on the little details necessary to make sure he appeared normal just in case.)

"I just ... wanted to check," Lex said lamely. "You weren't quite yourself yesterday."

Clark's head dropped. "I'm sorry."

Lex shrugged. He wasn't here for an apology. "Was it the flower?"

"The - yes." Clark latched onto that explanation a little too quickly. "There was a. A sapling? A flower sapling."

"You're a _farmer_ , Clark," Lex deadpanned.

"Mom grows the flowers!" Clark defended, looking at him over his shoulder. 

They both laughed, until Clark seemed to realize he was looking at Lex and quickly turned back to the wall. God, was Clark really _that_ embarrassed about kissing him? Lex felt a little insulted. He knew Clark has kissed people before. Was it because he was a guy? Because he was Lex Luthor?

The only thing for it was to push through. "So," he said conversationally, "I'm pretty sure that flower lowers inhibitions."

Clark stopped playing with the hammer. "Must have cross-pollinated."

"Clark," Lex said, frustrated, "we need to talk about this."

Clark deflated. "I'm so sorry," he apologized again. He wanted to apologize a hundred times. He was upset about what he'd done, but he was horrified at what he'd _almost_ done. He could have... if he thought the word he was going to throw up again. He'd almost forced himself on Lex. If Lex hadn't been so clever-

Lex's hand touched his shoulder and he flinched. Lex was kneeling down next to him, looking really worried. Clark realized he was hyperventilating. He let Lex guide him so that he was sitting down with his back against the wall as he focused on getting his breathing in control. Lex sat next to him, headless of dirtying his clothes. 

"Clark, it's not that big of a deal," Lex said soothingly. 

Clark looked at him with a very serious expression. "Lex, do you have any idea what I might've done if you hadn't tricked me into letting you leave?"

Oh. 

Clark thought he almost.... 

Lex hadn't intended telling him this, but it was the only thing he could think of to break him out of his shame-spiral.

"I almost let you."

Clark furrowed his brows, like he didn't understand the words. 

"If you _had_ ," Lex explained, "it wouldn't have been ... against what I wanted." He looked down at his legs. " _Your_ consent would have been called into question, not mine."

"You," said Clark slowly, disbelieving, "you wanted me to... ?"

"Clark," Lex swallowed, it was almost physically painful to be this honest with him, "I've been in love with you since the day you saved me from drowning."

Of all the reactions Lex expected - disgust, disbelief, laughter, (joy?) - Clark surprised him by looking _hurt_ by his confession. Clark rose suddenly and started pacing. 

"I take it that isn't what you wanted to hear," Lex said. He stayed sitting.

Before Lex could jump to any conclusions, Clark said, "I was always afraid that if you returned my feelings it'd be because I saved your life."

"That's not what I meant." Clark didn't respond. Lex's rebuttal accusation that Clark was only interested in him for his money was on the tip of his tongue, and he just barely managed to wrangle his self-destructive demons to swallow it. "You're also the only person who acts like you genuinely enjoy my company," Lex said instead. It was even true. 

Clark jammed his hands into his pockets, specifically staring away from Lex at a 90° angle. 

"So I like you and you like me?" Lex seemed to be going somewhere with this, but his statement ended with such an unsure inflection that Clark had to nod. Lex stood and dusted off his pants. "What's keeping us from giving this a try?"

"I can't be in a relationship with you if you only like me because I saved your life and because I'm your only friend," Clark said harshly. 

If Clark was trying to make Lex give up and go away, it wasn't going to work. "I don't know how I could prove that I like you for you," Lex said. "You'd just have to take a chance on us."

Clark looked at him sadly. The two were just about a yard apart and Lex was glad he was out of reach at the moment, because he'd probably do something embarrassing like hold onto Clark and refuse to let go. 

"There's other reasons we shouldn't," the words hurt Clark to say. 

"Like?"

Clark started thinking about every little reason he could voice, to cover up his real reason. He began his list, "There's the age difference-"

"Sixteen is the age of consent in Kansas," Lex blurted out. 

Clark raised an eyebrow. "Knew that off the top of your head did you," he said merrily. Lex had to laugh at himself. Clark's smile softened from teasing to friendly. "Yeah, I looked that up too," he admitted easily. "But I don't mean it's illegal, or even wrong," Clark personally didn't feel too young for Lex, "but it'd be terrible for your public image. Imagine what would happen if it came out that you dated a high school boy in your twenties when you run for president."

"I'm only twenty-two, Clark," Lex pursed his lips, "you make me sound like an old man."

"And reporters would totally spin it fairly," Clark responded with heavy sarcasm, "'At twenty-two years old Lex Luthor dated a sixteen-year-old. It was totally legal. The End.'"

"News articles don't end with 'The End'," Lex said. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, we'd have to keep it a secret at first, probably," he conceded. "I'm not even sure anyone would notice," he added, half kidding.

Clark rocked on his heels, thinking. "Even if we're still together when I'm 20 and you're 26," Clark started casually and Lex suddenly felt fiercely protective of this hypothetical relationship, wondering why they wouldn't still be together, "wouldn't it be bad publicity if you're dating a man?"

"Who cares?" said Lex vehemently. Then he winced. "I mean, I'm already used to being in the public eye and being torn to shreds six ways from Sunday. But," considering he was trying to make his case here the next thing was hard to say, "I understand if it would be too much for you." 

Clark shook his head, "I'm a random farmboy from Smallville, it wouldn't really affect me." Lex, who has dated before and was well aware of how much it could actually affect him, stayed silent. "In fact, I'm pretty sure they'd never use my name. We could get married and I'd still be 'farmboy from Smallville, Kansas'," Clark joked. 

Clark's talk of their theoretical romance was going to kill Lex. First they were breaking up in the next four years, now they were getting married. God he was in way too deep.

"You're running out of reasons, Kent," Lex said, slipping into Business Deal Mode with a grin. He finally felt like he was in familiar territory, even if his business deals never had stakes this high. 

He was also grinning because he'd noticed that Clark had been slowly gravitating toward him. 

Clark hooked his thumbs into the pockets of his jeans, and looked down at the dirt between them. "I don't know, Lex," he said earnestly. 

When Lex didn't say anything more Clark glanced up to see that Lex was just looking at him. He felt the last of his resolve crumble. He'd seen Lex physically vulnerable many times, and they'd had discussions where Lex _should_ have been emotionally vulnerable, but he'd never seen Lex so unguarded. The raw longing on his face made Clark's chest ache. 

"Give me a few days," Clark requested. He was going to need time to figure out how to tell Lex his secret. He couldn't and wouldn't go into this relationship with it weighing them down. "To think it over." 

If this was anyone else Lex would have pressed, would have demanded an answer. Or he would have backed off with a smile and sent a thousand gifts from afar. But he would do anything for Clark. Even _nothing_ , his least favorite thing to do.

"Ok," Lex agreed softly, but he wasn't leaving empty handed, considering how absolutely useless he was going to be while waiting. "On one condition. A real kiss."

Clark shyly biting his lip was such a contrast to how he looked yesterday, and Lex would choose the real Clark a million times over. He leaned against the barn behind him, hoping Clark would close the (very small at this point) distance between them, needing to know that Clark was still willing to kiss him when he was in his right mind.

Clark didn't hesitate past a brief bout of bashfulness, taking the few steps forward to kiss him, but his touch was light and uncertain, like he was afraid of breaking Lex. 

Lex smiled into the kiss, pulling him closer. He'd learn.


End file.
